November 5th, 2027

The World Day of Romani Language is observed on November 5 to celebrate the language of the Roma people and to support its preservation. The initiative began in Zagreb, Croatia, where Romani organizations and linguists first marked the date, and at Croatia's proposal UNESCO's General Conference proclaimed November 5 as the World Day of Romani Language in 2015. Romani is an Indo-Aryan language, related to Hindi and Punjabi, brought to Europe by the ancestors of the Roma, who left northern India more than a thousand years ago; along the way it absorbed words from Persian, Armenian, Greek, and many other languages. Today it is spoken in many dialects by millions of people across Europe and the Americas, but it has often been excluded from schools and public life, and some dialects are endangered. The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority, and an estimated one million Americans are of Romani descent. Schools, cultural centers, and Romani communities mark the day with language workshops, readings, music, and educational events that promote respect for Romani culture and the right to learn and use the language.

World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on November 5 to raise awareness of tsunami risks and to promote early warning, preparedness, and public education. The United Nations General Assembly designated the day in December 2015, and it was first observed in 2016. The date honors the Japanese story of "Inamura-no-hi" (the burning of the rice sheaves): during the 1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake, villager Hamaguchi Goryo set fire to his harvested rice to guide people to high ground and save them from the approaching waves. Tsunamis are series of powerful ocean waves, usually triggered by undersea earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides, and they can cross entire oceans in hours. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 225,000 people in over a dozen countries and led to new warning systems around the world. In the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and the West Coast are most at risk, and NOAA's tsunami warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii monitor the oceans around the clock. Schools and communities mark the day with evacuation drills and lessons on the natural warning signs, such as strong shaking or the sea suddenly pulling back, and on the simple rule to move to high ground right away.